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  1. #1
    Edward Heinrich's Avatar

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    Continued from (2211) Formal Court...


    The elegance of Adeline's reply brought a smile to Edward's face.
    "Fair warning, fairly taken, Ms. Martin." The name rolled off the tongue nicely; Edward appreciated that.

    "An intriguingly modern choice, Ms. Martin; you fit the role quite beautifully. My own selection is Julien Sorel from Stendal's The Red and the Black."

    And while Edward found Desire to be modern and bold, the approach of Conner as Mitth'raw'nuruodo was far beyond that.

    "Good evening, Mr. Wells, or should I say Mr. Thrawn?" Edward couldn't say he approved, even if he had grown up with the novels. "An adventurous choice of character," he added ambiguously. There was a line between a masquerade ball and a cosplay convention, and Edward felt that line had been crossed.

    And then they were joined by Helen. Edward gave an initial approving look until he realized she was dressed as a prostitute. Goodness gracious, what a domain this is.

    "Good evening, Ms. Kingsley. It has been some time since last we spoke; I do hope you've been well?"

    And another, Priscus Baker, Edward's greeting came with a deep nod and doff, "Priscus Baker, good evening. While your umbrella tickles my imagination, I fear I'm failing to place the character. Would you be so kind as to enlighten me?" Despite Edward's Sire's various half-hearted attempts to educate him on the subject, Edward's knowledge of British literature was relatively lacking.

    Edward repeated the gesture for the second Priscus to enter, doffing with an almost bow towards Jennifer.

    And then another! Edward privately hoped no others would join the seemingly ever-expanding gathering. In hindsight, speaking to the new and beautiful woman had doomed him to this fate.

    Edward blinked in surprise as the click of the cane hit Court's floor. A cane held by Connor. Edward, almost unconsciously, readied himself for a fight. A readying visible only through the slight release of tension and a return to a wholly neutral spine position. "Good evening, Mr. O'Brien; your costume dedication has extended to a cane, I see. While I should dearly hate to doubt the thoroughness of your preparation, I feel somewhat obliged to ask whether or not you might have received approval to bring a cane into Elysium?" He asked in part for the man's sake, while there were no officers of the Court present, he could simply leave it at the coat check and return with a loaner.

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  3. #2
    Adeline Martin's Avatar

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    Continued from (2211) Formal Court...


    "What a lovely choice, Mr. Heinrich! You are a credit to your clan." She nodded gently a moment with a small smile. "Thank you, Mr. Heinrich I do find Neil Gaiman's works incredibly intriguing! The worlds he creats are so vivid, and the characters so riveting, it reminds me of the first time I ever went to the cinema. There really is a sense of wonder there. As my character is not human, I did not bother to blush."

    Mr. Wells was all the way done up! Wow! Talk about dressing to a theme! He looked awesome! She was guessing fantasy or sci fi. She stared at him a moment, feeling like it was only appropriate considering the time and depth he spent on that costume. The ring caught her eye, and of course she recognized its symbolism.


    She inclined her chin as Conner introduced himself and signified his elevated position within his clan. An up and comer to be sure. “Good evening Mr. Wells. The pleasure is mine, it is always heartening to meet one of the faithful.” She pointedly let her gaze slip to his ring and then back to his face. “I’m Adeline Martin, Clan Ventrue. I recently moved here and intend on making Sacramento my home.” She paused and then her smile widened just a touch as Edward revealed he knew whom Conner was portraying! "I am astounded at the effort you put forth and would like to know what had inspired you.”


    Another blushed Kindred, but it went with the costume she supposed! And what a costume it was! “Oh my! Ms. Kinsley! That dress looks divine on you! I do love period dress, so much! Unfortunately when you count yourself as Kindred blending in is more important than standing out. Period dress is one of those things for me. I wish I could wear it more often. I love late Victorian style in particular but the Southern Belle look was always so romantic to me.” She paused. “Well met! Adeline Martin, Clan Ventrue.” Something caught her eye when interacting with Ms. Kinsley. When she wasn’t looking directly at her she could have sworn her shadow was bending the other way…


    “And good evening to you Priscus Baker,” she inclined her chin again to show respect for his position within his clan. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Adeline Martin, of clan Ventrue. Won’t you tell us your book and character, Priscus? It is exciting to have something so interesting to spark conversation is it not?” He certainly looked like a Kindred who would enjoy a good book!


    She inclined her chin to show respect for Mr. O'brien's position within his family, smiling cordially as the conversation had been quite excellent thus far. She felt something strange when O'brien began his approach to the group and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it at first. It was subtle from a distance, but as he got closer she knew that feeling. It was the feeling of being stalked by something. It's funny, but once you have felt that feeling, even now as a predator herself, you never forget its touch. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but the smile didn’t budge. “Good evening Mr. O’brien. Adeline Martin, of clan Ventrue. I know your costume. Rather famous, but such a classic choice I commend you. The style and class of the twenties isn’t something to ever be forgotten. How kind of you to remind us of such a glorious time and tale.”


    Yet another entry to Elysia, and again with period dress. She adored the blue green scarves the lady wore. Very fetching! She returned the polite nod Jennifer Hazelton offered, though a bit deeper than what she had offered before to others, noting Mr. Heinrich's reactions to her, and hoped later an introduction would be possible, but if not there was always another night. She wasn’t too worried about it.

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  5. #3
    Helen Kingsley's Avatar
    Helen Kingsley

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    "I can't complain, really, Mr Heinrich, things have gone mostly well, how have you been since out last meeting ? What made you pick that particular character ?"

    It's been some time, that's for sure. And she#s never heard of Sorel or Stendal to save her life, so yay. Adeline's remark makes her chuckle.

    "It's an interesting experiment, really. Dressing the part, but I've always found the character appealing on some level, even if she never got the limlight she deserved. So, who are you tonight and what's got you to go for that character in paricular ?"

    The same could of course be said for Conner and Doc Bakey... Nope, not her kind of literature, really !

    Nosferatu Curse: The vibe that that shadow is not doing as a shadow does as soon as you're not looking directly at it.

  6. #4
    Connor OBrien's Avatar

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    Continued from (2211) Formal Court...


    Edwards question drowned out everything else spoken to the Haunt. How could that have slipped his mind? "You're quite right, Mr. Heinrich, I don't know how it could have slipped my mind. Excuse me for a moment, everyone." He made a small, apologetic bow as he turned on his heels to head back to the coat check. Without hesitation, the walking stick was handed in without even bothering to get one of the gaudy loaners.

    On his way back through the crowd, Connor stopped outside of conversation distance of the two court officials. To the Prince he bowed as deeply as possible, holding the pose for no less than 5 beats of the heart. The Seneschal was offered a bow with slightly less depth for a slightly smaller length of time. Finally, as the Whip passed Jennifer, he offered a deep nod, bordering bowing.

    After the formalities were finished, he made his way back to the group of Helen, Edward, and the new face.

    "Thank you, Mr. Heinrich, for bringing my mistake to my attention. It was an oversight on my part while preparing." His attention flitted between the gathered Kindred, settling Helen for a moment. "You look very nice, Madame Kingsley. I can't say I've read 'Gone with the Wind,' though."

    Then his gaze shifted back to Adeline. "You missed the last Themed Court, Madame Martin. If you had seen me thing, you might think me a bit of a 'one trick pony.' No matter though, the character speaks to me somewhat; The desire for 'the American Dream' is what brought me to the country to begin with." He couldn't help but allow his eyes to wander slightly; for even in her chosen costume, the Kindred was still beautiful.
    Nosferatu Curse: An Aura of Danger, like the feeling that causes the hair to stand up on the back of your neck.
    The Vanishing:

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  8. #5
    Edward Heinrich's Avatar

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    (Blush)Vitae 1 Spent
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    "Of course, Mr. O'Brien," Edward replied as the Haunt excused himself.

    Conversation flowed, and some broke off. But the approached, Adeline, remained. "You are too kind, Ms. Martin." Edward's lacking Daevaness was a sore spot on his ego, a fact that made him wary of praise for it. "Indeed, the whimsy which suffuses Gaiman's work is a pleasant departure from the pseudo-depth of his modern contemporaries. I do hope his works find endurance. My Father was a great fan of Sandman, whereas I found myself especially partial to Gaiman's even later works. 'The ocean at the end of the lane' is a personal favourite."

    "An interesting point, my character is human; as such, I shall presently rectify my costuming blunder." Vitae, at Edward's command, flowed through him.

    The Prince and the Seneschal arrived. A deep bow for the Prince, in the old french monarchial style as for when greeting the regent, a scrape, a doff, and a flourish. The gesture is repeated for the Seneschal with small details omitted or changed -- it was the bow as would have been offered by an established courier to the Grand maître de France. Someone who knew Edward would easily notice how much fun he was having.

    Helen replied and added her own questions. "I don't dare say I've been well, but I may happily say each night exceeds the last." Edward smiled. "The book was a favourite of my Grand-Sire, and my deeply mixed feelings on the protagonist earned the work a lasting place in my thoughts. Admittedly, the time period of the Bourbon Restoration was also a strong draw, and I do dearly enjoy a cravate." Edward touched the item serving as a tie around his neck.

    Connor returned, caneless, and gave thanks. "You're quite welcome, Mr. O'Brien." Edward was glad that he was the one who caught it, and not an official. Both for the unselfish reason of compassion and the selfish reason of wanting to be far from the target of the Prince's wrath.

    "An intriguing reason for the novel," Edward commented, "I need not tell you, I'm sure, that most take the novel to be a critique of America and her dream. What are your feelings on the American dream today, Mr. O'Brien?"

  9. #6
    Adeline Martin's Avatar

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    When Jacque entered Elysia Adeline bowed deeply to show respect for his position as Seneschal. And she of course, looked at his costume, spying the title of the book and grinning a little at his costume. She liked it, and was familiar with the work. Spot on really. She would watch for cues that it was time to excuse herself. She would not approach the Seneschal until he beckoned.


    When the Prince ( Alessandra )entered, she swept into another bow, the lowest and final that she would give this evening. She loved the dress the Prince wore. It was beautiful and the fabrics looked luxurious and comfortable. She tried to spy the title of the book, but could only make out the black velvet binding of the book. Adeline hoped she would either get to ask, or overhear the answer.


    To Helen she chuckled slightly. “I came as ‘Desire’ , one of the Immortals from the ‘Sandman Series” written by Neil Gaiman. I chose it because I love the work for one, and the character is quite intriguing, and the costume wasn’t very elaborate.” She said with a slightly mischievous look on her face. “It’s honestly not often I wear pants, so I’m stepping a bit outside of my comfort zone, which is good to do every once in a while.”


    Adeline nodded politely with a small and patient smile as Mr. O’brien rectified his gaff with the cane. When he returned the pleasantries flowed naturally. “See! Another reason I chose a character called ‘Desire!’ I figured it was something we all could relate to! Everyone desires something after all.” She chuckled a little and nodded.


    Then her attention swung back to Mr. Heinrich listened to his rationale about his choice and grinned. She nodded with his assessment of Neil Gaiman, but disagreed with the longevity comment. “Neil Gaiman was a journalist in his early career. Most do not realize this but his first book was actually published in 1984. It was a biography on Duran Duran. Which I found especially funny. He’s been writing his entire professional career in some form or another. I think we can expect many more great things from him in the future.” Or maybe Adeline just liked an underdog.

  10. #7
    Helen Kingsley's Avatar
    Helen Kingsley

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    "Aw, thank you. You really should give it a try, I'd like your opinion on some of the things in it, seeing as you're basically a specialist on the matter." Yeah, she could have phrased that a little different, but hey, who knows how many liberties Mitchell has taken with the attitudes of some characters there, so what the hell... Too bad Connor kinda takes her nxt line of thought himself and runs with it. "That's also a pretty nice suit, though." Even if she has no idea about the great Gatsby.

    "Doesn't that become a tough act to follow at some point ?" Yeah, she wasn't entirely serious there, still... She quickly shakes off the uncomfortable feeling she gets evberytime she thinks back to her own grandsire. Ew. She kind of thinks its better to keep her thoughts about Bourbon Restoration for herself, as she gets the feeling it has not a lot to do with the drink. "Mixed feelings ? How's that ? In any case that thingy suits you." Oh God, is she slowly mutating into one of those... unspeakables ?

    She laughs. "Looks like immortality still draws a crowd, funny as that is. Whats so intriguing about it ?" she asks Adeline.

    Nosferatu Curse: The vibe that that shadow is not doing as a shadow does as soon as you're not looking directly at it.

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  12. #8
    Connor OBrien's Avatar

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    Connor returned his attention to Edward. "You are correct, Mr. Heinrich. The American dream is either dying or dead within Kine society, the 'spirit' of the dream lives on within our own. While often-times nepotism may factor into initial advancement, it only goes so far; it inevitably comes down to hard work and making a name for yourself here."

    His attention turned to Helen, and he wasn't entirely sure how to take her words. "I may look into it when I have the time, though I wouldn't call myself an expert. I spent much of the civil war in New York; I wouldn't make a very good soldier when I could only move at night." He followed up with a smile to show he had not taken her statement poorly. "Thank you, Madame Kingsley, though it's a bit ostentatious for my liking."

    Finally, he returned to Adeline. "Quite true, though often times it is our desires that hurt us the most." His voice trailed off at the end, lending for a brief moment of vulnerability before he regains his composure.
    Nosferatu Curse: An Aura of Danger, like the feeling that causes the hair to stand up on the back of your neck.
    The Vanishing:

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  14. #9
    Edward Heinrich's Avatar

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    "How intriguing; I, too, was unaware," Edward replies to Adeline as she mentioned Gaiman's early career. "I join you in expectation," Edward agreed.

    Edward resisted the urge to repeat 'cravate' as Helen forgot the word. "Thank you kindly, Ms. Kingsley." He hesitated in answering her question, it felt improper as a man to openly discuss his feelings, and as the others had seemingly not read the book, it would be hard to instead answer with his opinion without making it a lecture.
    "Soren's clear understanding of his place in the social order as a lowborn man never diminishes his ambition to rise into something greater. A set of qualities which earns great admiration from myself. Yet, his chief means by which he chases the aims of his ambitions is through the exploitation of the very superiors who offer him succour and through the manipulations of others in a similarly disadvantaged state. I find this inexcusable." The answer was dry, but at least it wasn't a drawn-out bore.

    Connor answered Edward's question. "I find myself in complete agreement, Mr. O'Brien. I would only add that our immortality is double-edged; we have ample time to overcome any barrier of birth, so to speak, but our abilities strengthen in near lock-step with our age. There shall never be a Meister of an Order who is not also an Alder." There just aren't neonates who can catch bullets, and given that the current Meister of the Thorns could literally kill with a word, catching bullets was a comparatively minor hurdle. Then again, the focus on the martial might just be Edward's bias.

    The small reveal, to Edward at least, of Connor's age was silently logged away. Edward had the impression that the Haunt was young, which was either an illusion or the result of torpor.

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  16. #10
    Adeline Martin's Avatar

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    She grinned at Ms. Kinsley almost slyly. “Immortality or the character Desire?” It was rhetorical but on the nose. “If it's the former I find it fascinating simply because nothing corporeal is immortal, and even that which we cannot see has its limits, but true immortality would be the only way to see all facets of the universe around us. As long lived as some of the Kindred are, we only get to see glimpses of the full truth.”


    Her smile remained even as Mr. O'Briens humors wilted for a moment. It was her duty in that instance to simply not see for the moment, or pretended she did not. It was impolite to bring up such things to a person in public and Adeline being the social cat she is, didn't wish to put him on the spot. “I for one cherish it Mr. O’Brien. Even the bittersweet and soured endeavors only get us that much closer to what is possible for us individually.” Adeline was annoyingly half glass full kinda gal.


    Perhaps Edward seemed hesitant to go into more length about his choices, but Adeline enjoyed listening. It was a lot more depth than many would expect from the Daeva. Hence her compliment to him regarding his choice was absolutely confirmed for the Lord. Yes, she didn’t think there was much that Mr. Heinrich did not notice…


    She was enjoying herself but she felt more than saw the icy stare of her fellow Lord, and her face turned to look at the Seneschal, and seeing his stare left little to the imagination as for the expectation there. It had been discussed prior.


    She gently cleared her throat. “If you will please excuse me Mr. OBrien, Mr. Heinrich, and Ms. Kinsley. Thank you for your wonderful conversation this evening. I shall look forward to more nights like this.” With that the Lord turned and made her way over to the Seneschal.


    Continued in (2211) Seeing and knowing...

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